Tech Tool Kit #1

Tech Tool Kit #1  9/3/15

If you haven't heard of Google Cardboard I would recommend looking into it. It's a simple device made from cardboard, a couple lenses and a magnet. You insert your smartphone and it becomes a virtual reality device that is both fun and engaging. We're talking about interactive 3D virtual reality! The thing I love about this technology is that you can take your students anywhere; an art museum, a historical site, into nature, or even underwater. A lot of the places that you're able to visit virtually are places that they've probably never been and might not ever visit, at least until they're much older. Google Cardboard could allow for a more engaging, more entertaining, way more memorable and immersive classroom! A major pro to google cardboard is that it's cost effective. A google Cardboard device only costs 15-23 dollars new, but it can easily be found used for much cheaper. However this does not include the cost of a smart phone that is required for the device. A con that still needs to be addressed is the issue of Google Cardboard requiring a smart phone. Where would I come up with smart phones for all of my students? Some students may have access to their own cell phones, however it would be supplemented to not exclude students who do not. Perhaps parents could send their student to school with their phone if possible, although this might be a challenge again if the family doesn't have a smart phone, or if they don't wish to part with their's for the day.

I would roll this out by introducing the technology to the students with a very exciting demo first to get them interested in using it. I think it could add immersion and activity to textbook lessons about history, geography, art etc. And let the children really see the scale of some of the places that are discussed. The technology is absolutely an integration tool, as the content is the same content you'd teach from a webpage or book, but with an amplified 3D, fully interactive experience. Of course some of the places to 'travel' to via Google Cardboard might not fit into lesson plans. Google Cardboard may not have a specific place or concept that I'll be teaching. I think Google Cardboard is more than just a teaching tool. I think it adds an interactive visual experience for restless students. I hope to one day teach 1st or 2nd graders, and I know that a lot of kids at that age have a lot of energy. I think Google Cardboard may act as a way for them to release some of that energy while learning. They can feel like thy are in a museum, aquarium or even outer space. They'll get to experience wonder IN the classroom.

 The device itself is extremely easy to use, and the set up and technical side of the technology is completely separate from the application. They aren't learning about 3D visual effects, accelerators in cell phones that track movement, or any other concepts of virtual reality, it is strictly an education based on the content that virtual reality provides.